Killer Karl Munro is to encounter an unlikely threat next week in the form of Craig Tinker (Colson Smith). After finding Craig crying in the backyard of the Rovers, Karl is stunned to discover that the young lad believes himself responsible for the fire at the pub.

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Craig confesses that he threw a cigarette away on the night in question after spying Karl leaving the Rovers and that it was this that caused the blaze. Knowing this not to be true, just how will Karl handle Craig?

“It all comes so out of the blue, but Karl thinks he can find a way to manipulate Craig because he’s only a kid,” says John Michie. “Karl’s own survival is what concerns him. He’s not overly bothered about Craig. Karl doesn’t think too deeply about it. He likes to shove things under the carpet and live in the moment. He’s very spontaneous.”

In scenes to be shown on Friday 16 August, a panicky Karl will be seen rushing after Craig, knowing that he can place him at the scene of the crime. Aware that he has to get to Craig before he talks to anyone about the night of the fire, Karl drags the boy into his car and finds it hard to keep a lid on his volatile emotions.

“It definitely crosses Karl’s mind that he might have to silence Craig for good,” admits Michie. “How could he make it seem like the kid has committed suicide? Thoughts like that are racing through his head all the time. Killing Craig is definitely on his mind because it’s hard to stop kids from blabbing. But he knows he can’t do that. So the next best option is intimidation.”

In the end, Karl tells Craig that the lad is responsible for a fire that killed two people and that he must keep quiet unless he wants to go to prison. But can Karl really trust Craig not to say anything?

“He knows that he can’t trust Craig never to say anything but what he’s hoping is that he can scare Craig enough so he doesn’t say anything until after Karl has married Stella. By that time Karl will be in Spain and he has no intention of coming back to Weatherfield.

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“Karl is a scary man, especially to a young kid like Craig. So Craig will do whatever he says. This is of course the plan. However, I do think Craig does suspect something because he is a lot smarter than he comes across. And when Karl threatens to kill his mum he definitely suspects then! The implication is that if I can kill your Mum, I can kill you.”